Raking In A Cash Crop

New Kent Track May Become Real Hay-burner

The state's hay industry seems to be in harmonious balance: Virginia farmers grow about the same amount of hay as Virginia cows eat.

Unlike other parts of the nation, where the hay crop is either several weeks late because of a late, wet spring or plowed under because of drought, Virginia's hay crop seems to be doing fine.

And while some horse owners now prefer to buy out-of-state hay, an agriculture expert says the Colonial Downs horse track planned in New Kent County could offer new opportunities for growers in Virginia.

Hay has a huge economic value to the state, but not because it's bought and sold. Most of the hay is used to feed livestock, primarily cattle, on the farm where it's grown, says Bill McKinnon, a cattle marketing experts at Virginia Tech.

``It has big value but brings in little money,'' says Bob Bass, state agricultural statistician. ``The value is in the weight it puts on the animal.''

Ranked with other Virginia crops based on cash sales, hay ranks No. 7, behind tobacco, soybeans, peanuts, corn, tomatoes and wheat. The $27 million in cash sales for hay in 1994 was only 16 percent of tobacco's $168 million, according to the ag statistics service.

But based on the value of production - how much the hay would be worth if all of it were sold off the farm - it's the No. 1 crop at $211 million.

This year is not the best nor the worst, says Bass. As of July 1, about 80 percent of the hay in the fields was in good to excellent condition.

Last year there were spot shortages around the state, says McKinnon. In summer 1995, fields in several prime growing counties in central Virginia were ruined by floods. In far southwest Virginia, pastures fried in late summer heat so farmers had to feed hay early, depleting stocks needed during the unusually long, cold winter.

``I saw as much hay on the road in March as I ever did,'' says McKinnon, as hay was moved from one farm to another. Most of the hay fed to cattle is rolled into bundles that are bigger than cars, bulky, heavy and hard to handle, so hay for cattle usually is not hauled very far, he says.

Charles Roff, owner of Old Dominion Hay Co. in Smithfield, does move a lot of hay around the state every year - about 3,000 tons. His primary market, however, is not the cattle industry.

About 80 percent of his sales are to horse owners, including hobbyists, training and showing stables, like Hunter's Way in Smithfield, and college equestrian programs. He also supplies hay to Busch Gardens and the zoo in Norfolk.

Roff says he buys ``very, very little'' hay grown in Virginia because farmers here prefer to price hay by the bale, and he prefers to buy it priced by the ton. He brings hay in from all over - Idaho, Kansas, New York, Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania, for instance.

The racetrack that will be built in New Kent may offer some opportunities for farmers.

Track owners have told him that breeding farms spring up around a track once it's in operation. Local farmers grow large quantities of wheat, barley and corn that could be sold to those operations, Davis says.

He believes racehorse owners will continue to get their hay or hay pellets from out of state. Local farmers may not be able to supply the top-quality hay needed for the racehorses because of eastern Virginia's muggy climate.

However, Harlan White, a retired Virginia Tech forage expert, told the Farm Bureau that farmers within a couple of hundred miles of the track who grow quality hay - tender and free of dust and mold - could find a new market.

Eastern Virginia isn't prime hay-growing area because the soil and terrain are suitable for more profitable row crops, like peanuts and soybeans, says Bass.

Most of Virginia's hay is grown in central, northern and southwestern Virginia.

A hayfield is cut and baled several times a year. The first cutting, often done in May or June, can provide the bulk of livestock feed during the winter after pastures die back.

Knowing when to ``make hay'' is tricky. After it is cut, it lies in the field for four or five days to cure before it's baled.

It's crucial that the hay not get rained on as it cures because it can mold in the bale.

Hence the value of ``making hay while the sun shines.''

HAY DAYS

The National Hay Association, a 100-year-old group of about 400 growers, marketers, exporters and shippers, will hold its annual convention in Williamsburg in October. For more information, call Charles Roff, association president, in Smithfield at (757) 357-6745.